Stepping Into Sidmouth's Story
A remarkable new artwork at Sidmouth Museum brings together ninety figures from our town's rich past—and hidden within its details are echoes of the very hospitality that has welcomed guests to The Glen for over a century.
A Town That Made History Welcome
There is something uniquely enchanting about a place that remembers its guests. Sidmouth has been doing exactly that for well over two hundred years, and this spring, a captivating new artwork at Sidmouth Museum brings that tradition vividly to life.
The Sidmouth Capriccio, unveiled by the Sid Vale Association (Britain's oldest civic society, founded in 1846), is a fantasy compilation that gathers ninety prominent figures from the town's history onto a single theatrical stage, set against a backdrop of local landmarks and a mystical Devon landscape. Created by local historian John McCarthy and graphic artist Giles Sadler, the piece blends historical photographs, paintings, prints and modern digital wizardry into something truly unique—the first artwork of its kind in any local museum.
And at the heart of it all? A young princess who once spent Christmas at the very building you might be reading this from.
When Royalty Came to The Glen
The central figure in the Capriccio is Queen Victoria, depicted as the infant Princess Alexandrina Victoria who arrived in Sidmouth on Christmas Eve 1819 with her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Kent. They settled into what was then known as Woolbrook Cottage—today, the Royal Glen Hotel.
It was here, in the room we now call the Princess Room, that the future queen celebrated her first Christmas. The town was captivated; locals gathered to catch glimpses of the royal baby being walked through our gardens. A coloured pane of glass still marks the nursery window where, remarkably, a stray shot from a local boy hunting birds narrowly missed the infant princess.
Tragedy followed joy when the Duke of Kent fell ill and died here on 23rd January 1820. Yet the connection endured. The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) visited in 1856 to see his mother's childhood apartment, and the Duke of Connaught—Victoria's favourite son—made four extended winter visits to Sidmouth in the 1930s, eventually lending his name to the beautiful Connaught Gardens.
The Visitors' List: A Window to 1895
While researching the rich tapestry of Sidmouth's hospitality history, we discovered something rather wonderful: original copies of the Sidmouth Observer and Visitors' List from April 1895.
These remarkable pages offer a snapshot of Victorian Sidmouth in full swing. The newspaper, priced at just one penny, wasn't merely reporting news—it was cataloguing the comings and goings of visitors to every boarding house, hotel and residence in town. Manor Road alone lists Mrs Hunt at Redcliffe, Mr and Mrs Meres at Redlands, Major-General and Mrs Milles at The Kraal, and Mr J F Leese QC MP with his family at Red House.
Perhaps most evocative is the entry for The Glen Boarding House on Manor Road, where Miss Culverwell served as proprietress. Her guest list reads like a social register: Mrs Yorke, the Misses Yorke, Miss Prior, the Misses Williams, the Misses Caparn, Mr and Mrs Isaacs, Mr and Mrs Wells, Mrs Metzler, Mr Metzler, Mrs Lumley, and Mr Williams—all enjoying the hospitality of The Glen 130 years ago.
The advertisements surrounding these listings paint a picture of a thriving resort town: Devon and Bristol Stores announcing their grand opening on Fore Street, Edwin Barratt the General Tailor on Church Street, J. Lake & Son offering carriages of every description on hire, and the Sid Vale Dairy proudly displaying its Silver Medal for Devonshire Clotted Cream.
Ninety Characters, Countless Stories
The Capriccio's cast extends far beyond royalty. McCarthy and Sadler have assembled fishermen and lacemakers (Sidmouth's economic bedrock before it became a fashionable resort), alongside authors, artists, poets, musicians, scientists, inventors, war heroes and sporting personalities.
Arthur Conan Doyle appears—he visited twice to play cricket as part of an MCC team. HG Wells makes an appearance too, though his stay was rather more scandalous: he signed into a local boarding house with a young female student as "Mr and Mrs Wells."
There's even a real-life Miss Moneypenny: Kathleen Pettigrew, who retired to Sidmouth having spent her career as personal assistant to successive heads of MI6. Ian Fleming reportedly drew inspiration from her for his famous character.
And in the spirit of historical balance, the Capriccio includes a murderer, a fraudster, and a future Poet Laureate who, in his radical youth, dismissed Sidmouth as "a nasty watering place infested by lounging ladies and full of footmen." He clearly visited on an off day.
A Living Heritage
What strikes us most about the Capriccio—and about those 1895 visitor listings—is how Sidmouth's essential character endures. This has always been a place where people come to rest, to recuperate, to enjoy the stunning coastline and the gentle pace of Devon life.
The names have changed, of course. Miss Culverwell no longer greets guests at The Glen. But the welcome remains the same. When you settle into one of our lounges, walk through our gardens, or perhaps stay in the very room where a future queen once slept, you're adding your own chapter to a story that stretches back centuries.
The Sidmouth Capriccio is on display at Sidmouth Museum, Hope Cottage, Church Street. The museum is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday 10am-1pm. Admission is just £2.50, and we highly recommend pausing at the interactive touchscreen to explore the stories behind each of the ninety characters.
Then perhaps wander down to The Glen for afternoon tea. After all, we've been welcoming visitors since at least 1895—and we'd love to welcome you.
The Royal Glen Hotel is a Grade I listed building on Glen Road, Sidmouth, just yards from the esplanade. To book your stay in this historic property call 01395 513221.